"We Have Not Forgotten, Mr. President."

I applauded Keith Olbermann in this space two weeks ago.

I finally got around tonight to reading his commentary presented Monday night at Ground Zero.

Apologies to my readers who may be overwhelmed by all of the 9/11 attention this week but, as Olbermann said, "I belabor this to emphasize that, for me this was, and is, and always shall be, personal."

Some choice excerpts if you haven't the time to read it all or watch the eight-minute oratory:

History teaches us that nearly unanimous support of a government cannot be taken away from that government by its critics. It can only be squandered by those who use it not to heal a nation's wounds, but to take political advantage.

Terrorists did not come and steal our newly-regained sense of being American first, and political, fiftieth. Nor did the Democrats. Nor did the media. Nor did the people.

The President -- and those around him -- did that.

-----

How dare you, Mr. President, after taking cynical advantage of the unanimity and love, and transmuting it into fraudulent war and needless death, after monstrously transforming it into fear and suspicion and turning that fear into the campaign slogan of three elections? How dare you -- or those around you -- ever "spin" 9/11?

-----

When those who dissent are told time and time again -- as we will be, if not tonight by the President, then tomorrow by his portable public chorus -- that he is preserving our freedom, but that if we use any of it, we are somehow un-American [my emphasis]...When we are scolded, that if we merely question, we have "forgotten the lessons of 9/11"... look into this empty space behind me and the bi-partisanship upon which this administration also did not build, and tell me:

Who has left this hole in the ground?

We have not forgotten, Mr. President.

You have.

May this country forgive you.

[Hat tip: PharmGirl]

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greetings from sunny, err foggy, santa cruz!

keep me on your blog roll! The scope of complex medium may change, but I'm starting to get back into things. I am reading 'the literature' again, and class starts in less than a week.

keep up the good work and bring back the wine posts. I need to know what vinyards to visit on the central coast.